WHS Tech Theater goes behind the scenes

by alyssa joo a&e section editor

The WHS Theater Department’s productions are complete with talented actors, vibrant lighting, detailed sets and clear sounds. However, none of this would be possible without WHS Tech Theater.

“When you hear about theater and think about acting, a lot of people don’t know [WHS] has a tech class,” said Tech Theater member Kara Gusner ‘24.

The WHS Tech Theater class meets after school from 3–7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays but is subject to requiring more time during busier weeks as shows and events draw near.

“It’s a lot of hours,” said Tech Theater member Sammy Conahey ‘23. “We’ve had a lot of people join the class initially and then drop out because it’s a lot of hours here at school … Sometimes, you’re here after school for three hours for a week straight.”

The time commitment is necessary for the amount of effort that goes into theater productions. For instance, designing and building sets requires creativity, planning and time from its contributors.

“We start [set building] by having the director come in [with] a slide presentation of examples of sets that she likes and how she wants the vibe of the show to feel,” said Tech Theater member Noah Chapman ‘23. “We talk it through with her first and bounce ideas off her … We rule out what we can and can’t do. Then we start designing and building … Once we’re done building, we go into rehearsing.”

Sets are integral to any show’s setting, but what truly completes any scene is lighting, which is also taught in the Tech Theater class.

“For the past three years, I’ve done lighting,” said Conahey. “Designing the light spots, [making] the queue lists and operating the lightboard during the show [has] been my role for the majority of the time I’ve been here.”

Lighting sets the tone and focal point of the stage at any moment so the audience has a clear idea of what is going on. Lighting operators plan when and where to use certain lights to convey ideas in scenes.

“You have to know the difference between all the different lights,” said Conahey. “We’ve got lights that just change color, lights that move around [and] lights that just have an intensity that goes up and down. [We have to know] how to use all those different ones, combine them all together and mix and match their different capabilities [to] create different moods.”

Of course, no show is complete without audio. In the back of the theater, the soundboard controls the microphone volume, background music and all other sound effects.

“When we do shows, I have to find all the sound cues and put them all in a program,” said Chapman. “Once the show is going, I mix the audio. I sit at that gigantic board with all those levers, and I push them up and down to make sure everything sounds equal and good.”

While Tech Theater students are constantly learning all of these skills and more every week, the busiest time is always right before opening night.

“Tech week is the week before the show,” said Gusner. “We tech the show, which basically means we go through light cues and sound cues to make sure it looks good before we go through dress rehearsals.”

On top of their own theater productions, the Tech Theater members help bring other WHS shows to life.

“We do [tech] for the plays, but we also help the sounds for when choir or orchestra comes in,” said Tech Theater member Brooke Davis ‘25. “We’re always backstage when they’re onstage.”

Despite the challenging load, a great benefit of doing Tech Theater is getting to make meaningful friendships and memories with other members.

“I’ve met my closest friends in this class,” said Conahey. “I get to do what I like to do with the people I like to do it with.”

After countless hours of building, painting and programming, the show finally begins as the technicians go through the rehearsed motions of following cues while the actors take the stage.

“I like it when the show comes together and you’re able to see all the actors performing with all the lights and the sound,” said Gusner. “The lights, the sound [and] the props build the show together.”